The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-07
Ladies', Workroon,

Yesterday we read an article in your coli
umns reviewing the plan of the work carried
on by the Associated Charities and Ladies'
Workroom. What was said served to remind
the citizens that these most practical organi-
cations, whose aim is to prevent pauperism
and stimulate the poor to self support, had
not run their course and died natural
death. THIS was well4timed, for new enter
prises for special wants and exigencies are
constantly crowding into the back ground
the institutions, which must be permanent
and perennial until the happy day dawns,
when our Sayiour's words, "The poor We
have always with you," shall have no mean
ing except to recall to the memory of the
Christian the dark days Of sin and unbelief.
May We be allowed to supplement the arti-
Gle and impress upon your readers the urgent
necessity for material aid and the pressure
resting upon the few ladies who devote two
mornings each week to cutting work for the
needy women in our midst.
we want money to buy the material to
make garments for boys, women and young
children as well, as capable and willing
hands to carry on this undertaking.
Like all new brooms, the first year, when
the enthusiastic and benevolent public took
zealously hold of these new projects, as if
they had at last found an effectual remedy to
| purge the community of idleness and desti-
| tuition, we were enabled to lay aside a small
capital over which the ladies gloated with
misery pride, as nest egg, t, which we
might add small sums, hoping ultimately to
| establish a home similar to one In Boston;
| Which forms centre for all charities; pro.
| yldes a school to educate young women and
| boys In various domestic arts, a kindergarten
| Tor the little ones of working women and a
store house and salesroom for all sorts of
handlwork. Gradually our friends have let
| us alone, perhaps because we have failed to
realize perfection in our management and re-
| suits, land our mortified pride and tottering air
| castles have dragged us into the slough of
dependency, as we continually have drawn
| upon our bank account, until we see nothing
| but bankruptcy and dissolution before the
end Of our financial year unless our friends,
rally to our relief. While we have Ignorance
| and lncompentency to contend with in our
| employees, and while competition cuts down
| the price Of labor and material to the mini
| mum our friends cannot expect us to make
| both ends meet. We should never dispose
| of our work If we charged more than fire to
| ten cents above the wages and wholesale cost
| OF an article. This small profit will not be-
| gin to Offset the loss ON the garments made
| by the hard and clumsy fingers of those who
crowd up like 'Topsy and were never
|
the ones we might lemploy if only to infuse
| bread. =
The faithful half dozen dred to meet this
morning and face the long row of haggard
| and wan looking women waiting for work.
| which Is not ready for them. Some must be
turned away. and who shall tell which, did
we know God would cast the lot, we should
| resort to chance; shall it be the mother who
has left her babe with neighbor, who is al
| ready half crazed with the racket of her own
| brood, or worse still alone, while she hurries
| down town the wife with sick and peeyish
husband, or the lone widow, whose domain
| spreads over an expanse of six by eight feet,
| with one tiny window, from which the
| horizon of her outlook is bounded by
stable wall or somebody's back yard? Now
That the holidays are over we appeal to the
| tender maidens, who have tried their ewes
| and wearied their slender fingers in manu-
featuring thousand and one tints of plush
| and velvet and floss into as many inconceiys
ahle and impractlcable shapes and designs
| OF night gown and slipper bags, shaving
maps to bother their gentlemen friends in
| dressing, who are bound to use them for the
dears sakes; we appeal to the loving sisters
who have expressed their filial and social
| affections in manifold devices of scarlet
wool like characters written in the blood of
murdered time, upon the countless house.
| hold decorations, which during the whole
| year wear out the patience of the housemaids
III inceSSdully picking up ana plnlng on anti
macassars, wall-pockets, sachets, magazine
! covers and impossible pen.wipers. Win you
| not come in and help us; by giving us the
| benefit Of your experience and ingenuity in
the planning OF our homely garments and
necessary articles for plain people.
| Let each lady note experimentally how
| many dresses she can cut and adjust in one
morning, so that child even can put them
| together ship shape, and she will have more
| charity for the misfits and unartistic cloth
ing we have sometimes offered at our sale.
Fifty TO seventy-five garments must be sup
pileu each week to keep our women at work.
| is IL strange that some mistakes are made,
wnen the labor of preparing this work. with
all It's mlnut9 of thread. buttons and Innings
must be looked after by these over-tasked
| ladies In the confusion of a room full of i'm
patient applicants?
We have sometimes dreamt of such a fra
| ternal cooperation of all societies working
| for the common veal, as would render the
workroom self-supporting We have often
received the hearty thanks of the hospitals,
homes and other well known but dependant
institutions, for huge bundles of clothing
sent them at the close of our year. We Won
der sometimes why the Overseers of the poor
and managers of various charities could not
help us, and at the same time suffer no finan-
cial loss themselves, by employing us to
make their bedding and clothing. We have
some excellent seamstresseS to whom we
could intrust all custom work. Will not the
members of these various boards consider
such project?
AN EYE WITNESS.